Griffin named as new boys lacrosse coach at Pallotti

Veteran college coach had stops at York (PA), Post (CT) and Cowan (NC)

Jim Griffin, a long-time men’s lacrosse head coach in the college ranks, has been named as the new head boys’ lacrosse head coach at St. Vincent Pallotti High School, the school announced last week.

Jim Griffin

Griffin has spent the last 14 years running lacrosse programs, starting at York College (PA), Post University (CT) and Chowan University (NC).

Pat Courtemanche said of Griffin “He loves to talk about the game of lacrosse and is excited to work with our kids, working on the fundamentals of the game to get them better,” said St. Vincent Pallotti athletic director Pat Courtemanche. “He built three college lacrosse programs from the ground up and has been a winner wherever he goes.

“I am thrilled that Coach Griffin will be working with our kids, as he tries to build our lacrosse program back up, as he has plenty of knowledge and understanding of the game of lacrosse.”

Griffin served as the head coach at York College from 2005-2011, and guided the team’s transition from a club team to a NCAA Division III varsity sport. In his seven years at York, Griffin amassed an overall record of 56-48 with a 26-23 mark in the Capital Athletic Conference (CAC). He is the all-time leader in wins at York, and ranked fifth in the conference in wins (26) and winning percentage (.531).

In addition to his post as the men’s lacrosse coach, Griffin also served as an Academic Advisor for the Sport Management program. He had 14 student-athletes earn All-Capital recognition, two named NCAA Division III All-American, two USILA North-South selections and one NCAA statistical leader (2006). The team made seven straight appearances in the Capital Athletic Conference playoffs.

Griffin then served as head coach at Post in Waterbury, Connecticut. Griffin started the process of building the Post program from the ground up in 2012. During this time he recruited 43 student-athletes that took the field for the school’s inaugural season in 2014. The program earned four wins in their first season of competition with three freshmen ranking in the top five of the NCAA Division II statistical rankings in goals scored. The team also posted a grade point average of 3.2 and had one All-NEILA First-Team selection and one All-NEILA Second-Team honoree.

In the program’s second season, Post ended the year with a 6-8 overall record and was selected to compete in the 2015 ECAC Division II Championships. Griffin was honored as a NEILA Coach of the Year finalist and the program was ranked sixth in the NEILA New England Division II. Griffin was also elected to the NCAA Advisory Committee by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) to represent Division II Men’s Lacrosse.

In 2017, Griffin was named the first men’s lacrosse head coach at Chowan University in North Carolina. In the 2018 season, Griffin propelled the Hawks to new heights, going 8-8 overall record and 2-4 in Conference Carolinas. Griffin led the program to their first-ever win over a Division I opponent on April 4, 2018 in a 19-17 victory over Hampton. The team appeared in their first-ever Conference Carolinas tournament contest earning the fifth seed and advanced all of the way to the Championship game. Griffin coached the program’s first-ever Conference Carolinas All-Conference selection (Anthony Alfonso).

Griffin played men’s lacrosse at NCAA Division II powerhouse Limestone College and Community College of Baltimore County-Essex.